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The Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar gives you a lot of guitar for the money. Custom Shop pickups special wound to Cray's specs crank out hard-edged solos and gritty rhythm while a hardtail bridge allows bold multistring bends with solid intonation. Light polyurethane finish on the alder body ages gracefully, lets the wood "breathe," and helps get the price so low that now you don't have to suffer if you want to play the blues. C-shaped maple neck with 9-1/2"-radius rosewood fretboard and Cray's signature on the headstock. Fender includes a deluxe Fender gig bag with your Robert Cray Stratocaster.

Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.

More than just another MIM Stratocaster or an affordable version of the Custom Shop Robert Cray Stratocaster, my MIM Robert Cray sunburst Strat is like a time capsule sent from the 60s. Sure you...Read complete review

More than just another MIM Stratocaster or an affordable version of the Custom Shop Robert Cray Stratocaster, my MIM Robert Cray sunburst Strat is like a time capsule sent from the 60s. Sure you could have bought one just like this back in the day, but those days are long gone. Fender did a great job in creating an affordable, well made Strat that is as attractive and true to form as it is a pleasure to play and hear. The early 60s neck is period correct and a wonderful fit if you appreciate a larger C shape with broader shoulders than typical. The period correct minty green 3 ply pickguard is likely to be exactly what your genuine 1966 Strat's pickguard might look like if you had one. Whether or not this Strat is for you may be another matter. For me it is perfect. My advice is to play and listen to one first. I like the sound of a hardtail, you may or may not. I was amazed that this Strat arrived perfectly set up. I checked neck relief, string height and pickup height. All were dialed in, which is a good thing because I wasn't looking forward to adjusting the neck relief from the heel of the neck, even if it is period correct. Nostalgia comes with a price.

Improvements? A oil finish, rather than polyurethane, on the neck would have been perfect.

The included, somewhat cheesy, gig bag might have kept the cost down and certainly protected the perfect open box model during shipping that arrived promptly, but this Strat deserves better so buy her a nice hard case. She looks fabulous in tweed.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

Fret Buzz!

I have many tools to set up a guitar...but I can not get rid of the fret buzz. I have set the neck relief at .026 and the action at 6/64...Read complete review

I have many tools to set up a guitar...but I can not get rid of the fret buzz. I have set the neck relief at .026 and the action at 6/64 at the 17th fret and I still get fret buzz. The nut on the low E is .018 and the A is .022, so it can not be fixed without shimming the nut and filing down the nut on all strings...I do not have the files to do this( it would cost $$ to own these tools to fix one guitar) After setting the guitar up to perfect intonation, I can not play an open G major chord,,,it is out of tune!!!!...I put the guitar in it's case and put it in my closest....I will never buy a guitar again without playing it first!

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

I have owned a few Fender Strat's over the years; and, I sold all but two of them. One was stolen (a 1957), and my newly acquired "blemished" Level 2 RC Hardtail. It's Violet with a Rosewood fingerboard which feels great. I needed to adjust the truss rod to get the action to Fender's specification of 0.010 at the 8th fret. And, it was essential to subsequently reset the intonation. From there, the instrument has been a joy to play. I especially love the hardtail bridge, partly due to the fact that I have played Telecasters for decades. I don't have to be concerned about wang-bar worries nor intonation disappointments. Yes, Hardtail Heaven. I expect to enjoy my Fender RC Strat for many years to come. For me, it is a great value.

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

bought a 60 year anniversary American standard strat. it needed a lot of work to set it up, fret polish, neck setup ect. this mim Robert cray strat is the best fender iv played in some time. set up, tone and feel are great. love it. better than American Standard. which is strange I thought it would be the other way. who ever set it up is a player and did a beautiful job. fit and finish are great also. cant beat the price. fender mim has a winner!

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

More than just another MIM Stratocaster or an affordable version of the Custom Shop Robert Cray Stratocaster, my MIM Robert Cray sunburst Strat is like a time capsule sent from the 60s. Sure you could have bought one just like this back in the day, but those days are long gone. Fender did a great job in creating an affordable, well made Strat that is as attractive and true to form as it is a pleasure to play and hear. The early 60s neck is period correct and a wonderful fit if you appreciate a larger C shape with broader shoulders than typical. The period correct minty green 3 ply pickguard is likely to be exactly what your genuine 1966 Strat's pickguard might look like if you had one. Whether or not this Strat is for you may be another matter. For me it is perfect. My advice is to play and listen to one first. I like the sound of a hardtail, you may or may not. I was amazed that this Strat arrived perfectly set up. I checked neck relief, string height and pickup height. All were dialed in, which is a good thing because I wasn't looking forward to adjusting the neck relief from the heel of the neck, even if it is period correct. Nostalgia comes with a price.

Improvements? A oil finish, rather than polyurethane, on the neck would have been perfect.

The included, somewhat cheesy, gig bag might have kept the cost down and certainly protected the perfect open box model during shipping that arrived promptly, but this Strat deserves better so buy her a nice hard case. She looks fabulous in tweed.

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

Got this one in Violet (really a deep blue) not purple, as a level 1 open box at a great price I should add. No imperfections to be found and as new (mint) condition. The set up was a challenge. It took a few times of removing the neck to get the relief where I like it. I think because the neck is so...substantial. Got the string action right but the nut was way too high. I almost gave up but took to it with nut files and finally got it playable. I replaced it with a tusq nut (very little sanding required) and it got even better.

I fine tuned by setup skills and now have a unique (the only Fender hardtail in regular production) strat that never gets put away. Highly recommended but it may need a good setup!

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

I could have bought this guitar a few years ago, opted for the Highway One stratocaster because it was made in USA. Just because this guitar is made in Mexico don't let that affect your decision. This guitar is amazing just like Robert Cray and I regret not buying it every time I play my "USA" Strat...

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

Yipes, this one is scary good! If you have any Robert Cray recordings, this particular guitar really nails his sound. Although I really love all of these artists, this guitar is no Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, SRV signature guitar, and good luck with any Jimi Hendrix or Rory Gallagher imitations on this baby. Rather, this is almost like a vintage Strat, the sound is so clean and pure. In other words, it sounds better clean, with very little gain applied, so this is not for every player. Also, this is a "hard tail" guitar (no vibrato) so that may have a lot to do with this sound. Not a bad pick-up in the bunch, they are all great and add to the unique sound. Nice neck (back side), fingerboard and frets, as well. Why anyone would change-out anything on this guitar is beyond my understanding (and I change-out components on almost all of my guitars), it is perfect just as it is! BTW, I have the 2-tone color version, quite pretty. I'm glad to have this one in the family!

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

I have always enjoyed going after an Fender Artist model guitar, owning an Eric Johnson, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, SRV, Eric Clapton, and recent a John Mayer. There are still more to come which included the RC Strat. I was reluctant at first as I couldn't find one anywhere to try out. In speaking with a friend who had, he told me it was similar in feel to my EJ Strat around the 5th/6th frets in radius and thickness. Loving the EJ I decided to buy the 3 tone burst. Reviews had been excellent for the MIM version. I was extremely pleased with the guitar on arrival at the overall appearance. Plugging in, I got excellent bluesy tones, no fret buzz, no adjusting needed. The weight and feel of the guitar is perfect for me. My hand glides along the neck. Tuners were and tone/vol knobs all seem fine to me. No paint or QC flaws found. I've played and owned MIM and to be honest, never had issues with any of them and I use all my 19 (and counting) guitars extensively which have never given me a concern. Next up is the Jimmie Vaughan Strat

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

I just picked up the Robert Cray Strat and let me tell you - all of the positive reviews are true. It is sweet and an absolute dream to play. I have a Gibson Les Paul 1959 reissue which is perfect and yet this Strat has great sustain, playability, tone and feel. I'm hooked. Thank you again Musician's Friend for delivering a great tool for a musician.

Comments about Fender Artist Series Robert Cray Stratocaster Electric Guitar:

I love it because it has a great vintage style finish, a vintage mint green pick guard, amazing vintage wired pickups and it can go from sounding calm and warm to a raunchy biting solo with one tone setting and a pickup change. I love my Robert Cray strat so much. I think that it's better than some of the American or Japanese guitars that i've played!!!!! I highly recommend this guitar to any type of player!! This is probably the best money i've ever spent!!!!!!!!!!